Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder helped celebrate Russian President Vladimir Putin's 74th birthday at the Russian leader's home this week, the Kremlin announced on Thursday, putting the ex-chancellor's enduring ties to Moscow back in the international spotlight. Putin turned 74 on October 7, 2026.
A "spontaneous" birthday invitation
According to the Kremlin's account on Telegram, Putin learned from the morning news on October 7 that Schröder was in Moscow on business for the supermarket company Globus — and promptly invited his "old friend" to his home. Photographs posted by the Kremlin showed the two men smiling broadly and shaking hands in front of an old-style Russian stove, with a samovar used for boiling tea water in the background.
Schröder, 82, who served as Germany's chancellor from 1998 to 2005, recently joined the supervisory board of the Russian supermarket chain Hyperglobus, which separated from Germany's Globus Holding in 2025 but continues operating under the Globus brand in Russia. On Wednesday he visited one of its Moscow stores, where Russian television footage showed employees greeting him with applause.
Decades of controversy over Russian ties
Schröder's relationship with Putin and Russian business has drawn criticism in Germany for years — criticism that has only intensified since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. After leaving office, Schröder took executive roles at Russian energy giants including Rosneft and the Nord Stream pipeline project, and once famously called Putin a "flawless democrat."
He has never distanced himself from the Kremlin. In January 2026, Schröder spoke in favour of resuming energy cooperation with Russia and argued against demonising the country despite its aggression against Ukraine. German politicians have described his new Hyperglobus role as a "betrayal of Europe," and several economists joined the criticism.
The peace-talks suggestion Europe rejected
The birthday meeting also revived memories of Putin's May suggestion that Schröder could represent European countries in peace talks to settle the Ukraine conflict — an idea European foreign ministers swiftly rejected. For now, Schröder remains a uniquely polarising figure: a former leader of Europe's biggest economy who keeps showing up in Moscow while the war grinds on.
Other foreign leaders who sent Putin birthday greetings included Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko, North Korea's Kim Jong-un and China's Xi Jinping, according to Russian media.
The takeaway: whether Schröder's Moscow trip was purely business or something more, the images of him toasting Putin's 74th birthday guarantee the debate over his Russian ties — and what they say about Germany's past energy dependence — will run for another news cycle.
Watch: YouTube topic search: Schröder–Putin birthday meeting in Moscow — news coverage and analysis
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Lightless Dawn (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources
- Reuters: Former German Chancellor Schroeder celebrates Putin's birthday at president's home
- The New Voice of Ukraine: Putin celebrates 74th birthday with Germany's Schröder
- Ukrainska Pravda: Putin marks 74th birthday with former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder
- The Straits Times: Former German Chancellor Schroeder celebrates Putin's birthday at president's home